7 Best Apps of 2016

We’re becoming increasingly dependent on our smartphones to contact friends and family, stream movies and TV shows, capture precious memories and countless other tasks. But our phones would be of little use without the apps that instill them with innovative new controls. These are City Beat’s seven must-have iPhone and Android apps of 2016.

1. Pokémon Go

Price: Free

The little critters that sparked a global obsession in the 90’s have now reached the smartphone age. This game requires players to explore the real world in a quest to gain new Pokémon creatures. The app uses your phone’s built-in camera to make it seem like the characters from the game are in your actual environment. Through creatively combining smartphones with a much-loved franchise, game maker, Niantic, crafted a sensation.

Although Snapchat was released in 2011, it’s unquestionably soared in popularity this year, particularly with the app’s “Chat 2.0” update in March – which allows individual chats, phone calls and even video calls. You can also keep up to date with news and events as a wide range of large organisations now present their stories in an accessible form for Snapchat.

3. Bitmoji

Price: Free

Bitmoji allows you to express your thoughts through stickers when words just aren’t enough. Users are able to create personalised avatars that take shape in emoji-like stickers. These novel little emojis have certainly taken off this year, especially since they can be accessed directly through your keyboard.

4. Boomerang

Price: Free

Boomerang is considered one of Instagram’s top spinoff apps. It creates animated GIFs (short videos played on a loop) through capturing a burst of still images that can then be shared to popular social media platforms such as Facebook or Whatsapp. It’s nifty for those looking to create more unique content for their feeds – check out the short preview below!

5. Cash

Price: Free

Splitting a restaurant bill or a taxi fare with friends can be a hassle, particularly when no one has cash on hand. Square has designed this convenient app to directly transfer money between friends or family, for free. You can now pay your friends back instantly with a few clicks of on your phone.Sign up now!

6. Day One Journal

Price: £3.99

Reading through your old journal can be a fulfilling sentiment, but it’s a practice that requires too much effort for many. So why not try Day One Journal? It enables you to easily and efficiently document your thoughts and photos daily. Plus, the app saves your entries to the cloud, so your memories will never be lost.

7. Bandsintown

Price: Free

If you’ve ever struggled to track down good gigs in your area, Bandsintown can help. The app immediately notifies you when your favourite artists are in town through examining your personal music collection. Additionally, the calendar display can show you all performers in the area if you want to change up your usual tunes.

What are your best iPhone and Android apps? Tell us in the comments section or let us know which of these are your favourite!